Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-08-14
THE DEATH ROLL.
Nearly Two Hundred Excur-
tionists on an Illinois Railroad
Killed withuot Warning.
The Most Disastrous Railroad
Accident In the History of
the Country.
HORRIBLE TALE
Wreck of an Excursion Train by an Organ
ized Band of Robber.

ized Band of Robbers.
CHICAGO, August ia special
from Forrest, ILL.,, says: All the rail-
way horrors in the history of this coun.
try were surpassed three miles east of
Chatsworth last night, when an ex-
cursion train on the Toledo, Peoria &
Western railroad dropped through a
burning bridge and over 100 people
were killed and four times that mum.
Der more or less injured.
1t was carrying $50 passengers. all
excursionists, and was bound for Mag
ara Falls. The train was so heavy
that two engines were attached TO it.
and when it passed this place il was
an hour and "A half behind time.
Chatsworth, the next station east of
here was six miles off. The run there
Is made in less than seven minutes.
The terrible momentum Of those fif.
teen coaches and two heavy engines
shooting through space at the rate Of
mile minute can be understood.
No stop was made lat Chatsworth.
Three miles east of Chatsworth is lit
tie slough where the railroad crosses a
run abut ten feet deep and fifteen feet
wide. Over this was stretched an Or
dinary wooden bridge and as the ex-
cursion train came laundering down
on 1t what was the horror Of the en-.
gineer on the front engine when he
saw that the bridge was on fire. There
was no chance to stop. 1t would have
taken half a mile to stop. The first
engine passed over in safety. As
it went over the bridge fell beneath il
and it could have been onlyt the terrific
speed of the train which saved the
lives of the engineer and his fireman.
The next engine went down and car
crashed into car, coaches piled one on
top of another and in the twinkling Of
an eye nearly 100 people found instant
death and fifty more were so badly
hurt that they could not live. As for
the wounded they were everywhere.
Only the sleeping coaches escaped, and
as the startled and half dead passen-
gers came tumbling out Of them they
found such a scene of death as is rarely
witnessed. Instantly the air was filled
with cries Of the wounded and shrieks
Of the dying.
Groans of men and screams of wo.
men united to make an appalling
sound and above all could be heard
the agonizing cries Of little children.
One hundred and eighteen was the
awful pail of the dead, while the
wounded number four times that
many. The full tale Of the ldead
cannot, however, be told yet for some
days. No sooner had the wreck oc.
Cured than a scene Of robbery com.
menced. Some band Of unspeakable
miscreants was on hand TO plunder the
dead and take even the shoes which
covered their feet. Who these wretches
are is not now known. Whether they
were band Of pickpockets who ac.
companied the train or some robber
gang who were lurking in the vicin ity
cannot be said. A horrible suspicion
exists and there are many who give
It credence that the accident was q
deliberately planned case of train
wrecking, that the bridge was set on
fire by miscreants TO seize the opportu
nifty which offered.
That the plunder was done by an
organized gang. was proven by the
fact that this morning out In corn
field sixteen purses, all empty were
found in one heap. n